The next generation of manufacturing technology will require complete spatial control of material and functionality as structures are created layer-by-layer, thereby providing fully customizable, high value, multi-functional products for the consumer, biomedical, aerospace, defense, and other industries. With contemporary Additive Manufacturing (AM—also known more popularly as 3D printing) providing the base fabrication process, a comprehensive manufacturing suite will be integrated seamlessly to include: 1) printing of a wide variety of robust plastics/metals; 2) micromachining; 3) laser direct structuring on multiple layers and in between layers; 4) embedding of wires, metal surfaces, and fine-pitch meshes submerged within the plastics; 5) micro-dispensing; and 6) robotic component placement. Paramount to this concept is high density routing (e.g., <200 micron spacings and widths) of highly conductive antennas and electrical interconnect between components incorporated within arbitrarily formed 3D printed dielectric structures.
Some 3D manufacturing systems print with LDS (Laser Direct Structure) materials that allow a laser to selectively activate a surface of the plastic printed structure for subsequent electroless plating of a metal onto the plastic surface. This has been accomplished traditionally for plastic injection molding and recently by Stratasys Ltd. with a recently announced filament with the activation capability. To date, however, this technique has been limited to the external surfaces after completion of the injection molding or 3D printing.